How can my simulation be a real love?

"Hurry back to STARRY!"

With her heart pounding, Ichiji Nijika quietly buried her face in the drum kit. Forcing herself to remain calm, she raised her head and casually remarked—

"Speaking of which, Ming, didn't you buy a lot of drawing tools last time? How's your drawing progress lately?"

"I recently submitted a piece to a group exhibition, and it seems to have unexpectedly become an award-winning work."

Is it an award-winning work?

Ichiji Nijika's pupils contracted instantly, but she maintained a curious expression and said softly, "Eh! Winning an award is amazing! Does that mean Mei-san is now an artist...? Suddenly I feel like the distance between us has widened..."

In her dream, she seemed to be constantly chasing after Ming's footsteps.

"Getting discouraged so quickly? The Ending Band still has to perform all over the country and even the world, right? They're way more accomplished than a little painter like me!"

Kazami Mei simply smiled and waved his hand, using Miss Nijika's praise as encouragement instead.

"Really... that kind of thing is still a long way off!"

"Ah! Speaking of which, Ming-sang, what's your nickname? I'd love to see your work sometime!"

The moment she uttered those words, the girl's gaze involuntarily locked onto the girl beside her. Her rapidly beating heart pounded in her ears like a drum set being struck at high speed.

A complex mix of tension, fear, and anticipation clung to her heart like intertwined bonds.

In fact, Ichiki Nijika probably already has the answer.

"It's a subtle fragrance."

"I chose this name because I like flowers."

Kazami Mei's eyes were fixed on the distant clouds, and a faint smile gradually appeared at the corners of her lips.

The blonde girl walking beside him seemed a little stunned. The moment she heard those words, the fear in her heart dissipated like a tide, and a faint sense of strangeness was accompanied by a feeling of sudden relief.

It made her feel lightheaded as she walked down the street, and even though she had prepared herself mentally, she was still quite shocked.

"What a nice name!"

Sure enough, she couldn't possibly admit she was wrong.

This painting, which made her feel warm and gentle like the sun, was indeed created by Ming himself.

At this moment, the utterly absurd idea in Ichiji Nijika's mind was completely confirmed: Kazami Mei had inadvertently revealed his habitual 'left hand' at the celebration banquet; the oil paints he chose at the art supply store were the same ones that Ichiji Nijika had given him in the [Dream].

Now, Ichi Nijika has heard it firsthand: Kazami Mei himself has admitted that "Summer Flower" was his creation.

These countless coincidences, when combined, become the inevitable result of 'fate'.

The facts before her eyes no longer allowed her to deceive herself with 'coincidence'.

"Ming, that..."

Ichi Nijika wanted to speak.

She wanted to know if the boy she liked truly shared the same memories as her.

47

Chapter 47 Now they had no choice but to accept it immediately!

"what happened?"

The girl's sudden call made Kazami Mei raise an eyebrow, and Iji Chi Nijika beside her seemed to be about to say something.

Just as she was about to ask that question, a hint of embarrassment flashed across Ichiji Nijika's delicate face. The words that were already on her throat got stuck and she couldn't express them smoothly. The girl subconsciously lowered her head and just chuckled a few times.

Ultimately, he was still unable to fully express his innermost thoughts.

She wanted to ask, but couldn't bring herself to speak.

She could have simply asked a simple question like, "Have you ever dreamed about me?" But Ichiji Nijika's hesitation and inner conflict prevented her from making a decisive decision.

Her fingertips, which were holding the drum kit parts, were trembling slightly, and her steps on the concrete road were a little stiff.

Tension, entanglement, hesitation—a series of complex emotions, like a spider's web, constantly lingered in every corner of the girl's heart.

Ichi Nijika vaguely sensed that the handsome and dignified black-haired boy in front of her might be "the same" as herself, but this also caused her an indescribable fear.

But what if Naruto in front of me also has memories?

Because after saying those words, there was no turning back for Ichiji Nijika.

If Kazami Naruto also realizes that she has dream memories, then given Naruto's responsible nature, he would definitely not let his "wife" go unattended.

Similarly, she would no longer be able to suppress her love for him; the love and suppressed emotions she had accumulated would instantly destroy the dammed defenses like a tornado.

Under Kazami Mei's gaze, she quickly calmed the turbulent emotions surging within her.

"No, it's nothing! I was just thinking... Naruto is really, really amazing~ His artwork, which he submitted suddenly, has already won an award. I'm just happy for you!"

"But then I suddenly remembered that I had asked Ming to draw a picture of me by hand before, and now that I think about it, I feel like I was putting you in a bit too much of a difficult position..."

The blonde girl strolling beside him wore her usual gentle smile, but Kazami Mei could see a hint of undisguised loneliness and tension in her soft, gentle red eyes.

Upon realizing this, Kazami Naruto's brain immediately began to work at lightning speed, and before he knew it, a few beads of sweat had started to appear on his forehead.

Wait, this is a guaranteed question on the test.

Overwhelmed with emotions, Kazami Mei took a deep breath and, after managing to calm himself, suddenly stopped in his tracks. Before the girl beside him could say anything more, he immediately began to apologize—

"I'm sorry, Hongxia, it seems I failed to keep my promise in time."

"If you have some free time recently, Hongxia, you can come to my house for a visit. I will put all my effort into painting a portrait of you, but it might take a while, so you'll probably need to come a few times."

"No, no, no, that's not what I meant!"

With her eyelashes trembling, Iji Chikuri Natsumi shook her head frantically, her voice even becoming soft with nervousness.

“I don’t blame Ming-san for this! Really, really… I’m definitely looking forward to having my portrait painted!”

For Ichi Nijika, being able to have a painting drawn by the person she likes is a very happy thing.

However, Hongxia has not yet fully sorted out the entanglement in her 'memory', and her sensitive nature prevents her from asking the other party for help with the drawing with her current complicated mindset.

With mixed emotions, Ichiji Nijika took a deep breath, then stretched out her two small hands and patted her fair cheeks hard, the force of which immediately left a red mark on her soft and delicate skin.

She raised her head seriously and spoke with a somewhat earnest tone—

“I really want Ming-san to paint me, but I’m not quite ready to be a ‘model’ yet.”

"Once I'm truly ready, I'll definitely come find you, Ming-sang!"

The girl's earnest expression made Kazami Mei raise an eyebrow slightly. After a moment's thought, he chuckled and replied, "I understand. Then I'll be waiting for Miss Nijika's arrival anytime~"

Kazami Mei has reached the pinnacle of 'technique' as a painter. Even when simulating his middle-aged or elderly self, his painting skills are comparable to his current self. However, he is still not mature enough in terms of 'emotion', which is also the most important soul part of art.

Perhaps only by painting for the one you love can you truly feel the soul of art.

Before Ichi Nijika is 'prepared', even Kazami Mei, whose drawing skills no longer need honing, cannot stop progressing.

He decided to take advantage of this time to continue painting and participate in gallery awards, striving to create the most perfect work for Hongxia after she is ready, surpassing the "Summer" he made for her in the simulation.

"...I need to start all over again."

It wasn't until Miss Nijika's simulated memories passed away that Kazami Mei finally created her first real portrait.

In reality, it would be natural for Kazami Mei to let Ichiji Niji Natsumi see the works he created, and not just the previous "Natsu" painting. He would create more works for this gentle yet strong girl and exhibit them everywhere until she blushed and shyly shouted that she should stop painting.

The two, each lost in their own thoughts, strolled side by side along this retro-style asphalt road. The gentle breeze that lingered in their ears, along with the sound of their footsteps, embellished the rhythm of music.

For her, this long road, which she had walked countless times, seemed so fleeting today.

In the blink of an eye, the two had arrived at the entrance of STARRY.

"Um! Naru-san, could you wait for me outside for a bit?"

A cheerful and energetic blonde girl suddenly stood in front of Kazami Mei.

Even when she was holding drum kit parts, her steps were so nimble and light as she turned around. Every smile and frown of hers was full of vitality and so charming. If anyone were suddenly asked by her to do this, they probably wouldn't be able to refuse.

Of course, Kazami Mei was no exception.

"My time is very precious!"

"Hey! Just wait for me for a second, just a second! Please, please~"

The blonde girl clasped her hands together in a cute, pleading gesture, her slightly lowered, bright red eyes carrying a hint of a smile.

It was obvious that both sides knew this was a joke the other was playing on purpose, but both Kazami Mei and Iji Chi Nijika were quite happy to play along and continue the joke.

Kazami Mei smiled smugly and said, "Originally, I would have charged 100 million yen as compensation for making me wait so long, but today it's on special offer: just a bottle of KISS coffee."

"Where did you come from, you chubby little Zaemon?!"

Ichi Nijika, who was very supportive, couldn't help but loudly complain, and the two of them, who looked at each other, inexplicably started to laugh.

Despite saying things like "time is precious," Kazami Mei still chose to forgo her train ride home and spend more time with Iji Chi Niji Natsumi on her way back to the theater. What she said and what she actually did were completely separate!

The girl, feeling a little smug, simply waved her hand and ran into STARRY, leaving only Kazami Mei standing outside with one hand on her hip, wondering what she was thinking.

"Why did you suddenly ask me to wait outside? Are you going to give me something?"

Stroking his chin, lost in thought, Kazami Mei stared at the closed STARRY iron gate. All sorts of random thoughts began to race through his mind, including some that he himself found ridiculous.

It's impossible that Miss Hongxia went back to get a Flying Thunder God kunai with some strange mark on it, and then handed it to me with a smile so that I could come and hunt him down next time, right?

"However, it seems that Hongxia should be fine."

Kazami Mei murmured in a voice only she could hear, and the faint worry between her brows gradually dissipated.

He specially brought Miss Nijika back this time so that he could have a heart-to-heart talk with her. His conversation with Nijika in STARRY last time, as well as Miss Nijika's final reaction when Yamada Ryo attacked him, made Kazami Mei realize that she might be hiding something.

Surely she wasn't agonizing over whether or not to confess her feelings to him? Kazami Mei wouldn't be that rash.

"However, just in case."

He needed to inform Miss Liang in advance so that she could also keep an eye out for him.

……

As the fame of the band STARRY soared, the number of visitors to the performance hall increased at a visible rate.

During this period, Ijichi Hoshika's usually stern and indifferent expression seemed to have softened considerably, perhaps the curve of her lips was rising along with the sales figures.

This should have been a very celebratory occasion, but Iji Tomoka hadn't seen any joy on her younger sister's face during this time, which gradually made Iji Tomoka's expression, who was resting her chin on her hand, stiffen.

She recalled how she had given Nijika two 'tickets' so that she would invite Kazami to a date, but her silly little sister ultimately couldn't bring herself to say it and ended up going to visit the place all by herself.

After returning, she forced a smile to fool herself, then went back to her room and hid away, not knowing what she was doing.

"Even as an observer, I really can't take it anymore."

Just as Ichika Hoshika was taking a big gulp of Goodbaby juice, feeling incredibly annoyed, the iron gate of her STARRY store was suddenly pushed open.

A blonde girl in a pure white coat suddenly darted in like a forest fairy. Without even glancing at Xingge, she casually said, "I'm back," and rushed upstairs to her room.

"What is Hongxia up to?"

Completely bewildered, Ichiji Hoshika straightened up from her languid posture and stared dumbfounded in the direction where Nijika had disappeared.

Nijika, who had suddenly rushed in, returned in less than two minutes. Before Ijika could even call out to her, the energetic blonde girl snapped, "I'm going out for a bit!" and pushed open the door to run out.

I have absolutely no idea what's going on.

"However, it's probably because of that kid Kazami again, right?"

Ichi Seika glanced in the direction of the beverage freezer and couldn't help but click her tongue.

The KISS coffee that was originally on the second shelf has gone missing another bottle in such a short time. Even though Ichika Hoshika didn't understand what was going on before, she immediately realized what her silly little sister was doing.

She's moved all the stuff out of the house!

"...I really can't stand it."

Shaking her head, Ichiji Hoshika's eyes flashed with helplessness and annoyance, but she didn't feel the slightest bit of disgust towards her silly little sister whose heart had been 'stolen'.

She took out a brand new bottle of Goodbaby juice and downed it in one gulp, as if drowning her sorrows in alcohol.

the other side.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting, Ming-san."

Miss Hongxia returned, slightly out of breath, carrying a lot of things. Perhaps because she was too anxious, her pretty and delicate face was flushed.

She carefully handed the KISS coffee in her arms, along with a meticulously packaged small bag, to Kazami Naruto, which made Kazami Naruto look a little puzzled as she took the bag.